The Legacy of Verner Panton

VERNOR PANTON: THE BEGINNING

Early in his career, through his friend and designer Piet Hein – who first encouraged him to start designing lighting­ – Panton was introduced to famed architect, Arne Jacobsen. In 1950 he began working in Jacobsen’s studio on the Antm Model 3100 – the now omnipresent Ant Chair. The Ant Chair was the first of the Series 7 chairs, and the first mass-produced chair to have the seat and back formed from a single piece of laminated veneer (credited to Jacobsen, it is widely believed that Panton was behind the design and development of this iconic chair).

LIGHTING DESIGN

Engrained in our collective design consciousness is Panton’s iconic furniture, most notably, the technologically groundbreaking Panton Chair. However, as much as the Danish designer sought a new language in seating form, he understood that the interior environment was equally shaped by the collaboration of color and light. Panton’s lighting was designed to interact with its surroundings, creating a variation of atmospheres depending on the situation. It was the emotional elements of these interiors that Panton aimed to manipulate through lighting.

In 1968, the Danish company Frandsen began working with Panton and shortly thereafter started manufacturing a number of his lighting designs, including the celestial and hallowed VP Globe and Panto pendant light. That same year we also saw the VP Flowerpot series, now manufactured by &Tradition. The now-iconic postwar light uses lacquered aluminum in a playful yet minimal shape, referencing the flower power movement happening at the time.

ORGANIC DESIGN

As much as Panton was a student of geometry and architectural proportions, often applying mathematical solutions to solve spatial relationship problems in his designs, Panton would use the organic world around him for inspiration. One of his earlier organic lighting designs was the Topan Pendant (1959) - a precursor to the Pop Art Movement. A sculptural gem that not only provides illumination, it also acts as a decorative element either alone or in clusters, and adds a cozy intimacy to any interior. Originally designed for the Astoria Hotel and Restaurant in Trondheim, Norway, the Topan became an integral design element in Panton’s approach to visually immersive environments, saturated with vivid colours, patterns and provocative furnishings. It was also the predecessor to the Flowerpot lamps that followed, which together with Topan are design siblings in &Tradition’s lighting collection.

Another geometric-inspired design from 1971 was the Panton Coat Stand, now manufactured by Schönbuch. Its elegant, curved, hourglass shape is formed from powder-coated metal, which is available in a range of colors. When not in use, the Panton Coat Stand has the presence of a contemporary sculpture. This eye-catching piece has been specified for entrance areas in both commercial and residential settings, proving once more that Panton’s designs seamlessly bridge function and aesthetics.